Matt Prior was responsible for the last memorable moment of a magical one-day series for England and, in the process, he almost certainly ended any debate about who will be their No1 keeper-batsman this winter.

With dreadful weather giving Cardiff anything but a dry run for next summer's Ashes First Test, only three overs were possible yesterday, denying Kevin Pietersen's team the opportunity to complete a 5-0 NatWest Trophy whitewashing of South Africa that would have lifted them to second in the world rankings.

But that was still enough time for Prior to hold a spectacular catch to dismiss Herschelle Gibbs off Stuart Broad. Going for such a chance confirmed Prior's confidence to be sky-high again. Holding it underlined the impression that his glovework really has improved since England cast him aside in January.

Nothing that has happened over the past couple of weeks can beat Andrew Flintoff's man-of-the-series exploits, although Steve Harmison's return, Samit Patel's successful arrival and Broad's work with the new ball are all worth celebrating.

But no one had more to prove than Prior after being brought back into the fold earlier than expected.

"Matty went away and worked at his game," said Pietersen. "He didn't gob off to anybody and say he'd been unlucky or missed out. He's matured a lot over the last nine months and been a dream in the dressing room.

"He's been consistently brilliant during this series and deserves the accolades."

Having shared three half-century partnerships with Ian Bell, Prior has done his bit at the top of the order. But it is his confidence behind the stumps that will have convinced the selectors he can be their No1 in India during November and December.

"I think Matty likes people in his corner and we definitely want him in our side because he's a very talented kid," said Pietersen.

Meanwhile, Surrey's attempt to recruit Shoaib Akhtar ended in farce when the Pakistan paceman arrived in England without the right visa.

"His visa didn't allow him to play professional cricket in this country," said the county's chief executive Paul Sheldon. "I understand he has gone back home."

Surrey, 18 points adrift at the bottom of the County Championship's first division, had lined up Shoaib to play in the last three matches of the season, starting against Kent today.